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It’s clear that the 2020 season for Sebastian Vettel took its toll but F1 fans have caught a glimpse of just how hard it was on the German star.
A four-time World Champion with Red Bull before joining Ferrari, Vettel’s Ferrari career largely coincided with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ dominance.
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Hamilton has won six of the last seven World Championships with his former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg winning the other title.
While Vettel had been Hamilton’s chief competition for the best part of that run, he began to slip over the past two seasons as he finished fifth in 2019 and 13th in 2020, as Ferrari slipped from second to sixth in the constructors championship.
2020 was a disaster for the team and Vettel as he claimed just a single podium and seven points finishes in the 18 races.
But having moved to Aston Martin, who are the renamed Racing Point team from last season, the first look at Vettel has given fans a bit of a start with the 33-year-old sporting a rapidly receding hairline.
There was no way F1 fans were going to let such a massive change pass without comment.
Some said he likely had hair transplant surgery, while others said he was looking a bit like Prince William.
In fact, Prince William was trending in the UK but there were mainly pictures of Vettel.
So F1 fans had fun online.
Despite the tough finish to his time at Ferrari, Vettel has refused to blame the team.
The German star showed nothing but class as he left Ferrari despite it being a shockingly bad season.
Although he had some run ins with teammate Charles Leclerc, he sent a heartfelt message after the last race in Abu Dhabi.
“To Charles, you are the most talented driver I came across in 15 years of F1,” Vettel wrote.
“Don’t waste it. Whatever you do to be happy and smile. Thanks for everything.”
It is part of the reason why former Jordan boss Eddie Jordan believes that Vettel can help teammate Lance Stroll reach his potential, who the 72-year-old says is a World Championship.
“We were all maybe thinking ‘is that the right thing with Lance?’, and you’d have to say that Lance’s speed is undoubted now,” Jordan told The Race.
“You have to look at him as a driver that sometimes he doesn’t always show his speed as much as he should, or can do.
“He has enormous talent. And he has the speed to be a World Champion, he really, really does.
“But what I would like to see is more consistency. You go to a race and I’m not sure what I’m likely to see from Lance.
“I think Vettel coming can help them to do that. I think that Vettel may spur him on, just like Vettel spurred on Leclerc.
“And it could be that you might find a completely different driver in Lance Stroll this year.”
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